Thanks, Tony. Friends who have traveled in parts of Mexico have described similar things to be seen in the higher elevation forests of that country. Before posting on this topic today, I Googled Phoenix canariensis to double check its cold tolerance. The wikipedia entry gives a low temperature tolerance for this species of -10 to -12 degrees C (= roughly 10 to 12 degrees F) so long as those temperatures do not persist for long periods. That puts it well within what we here in the eastern states think of as zone 8 (in fact, almost borderline very mild zone 7, Tony's and my zone). But I don't think either of us is planning to line the driveway with Phoenix canariensis! Obviously, duration of these temperatures plays a huge role. Evidently it's just a serendipitous thing that there are places where it stays cold/cool long enough to allow the Lycoris to thrive without getting cold long enough for the Phoenix to be damaged. And I'll bet that for both the Lycoris and the Phoenix rainfall patterns influence this unexpected pairing. Dry Mediterranean summers no doubt harden the Phoenix and allow it to withstand a bit more cold than that which will be tolerated by Phoenix growing in summer wet areas (e.g. eastern North America). As for the Lycoris, as long as it doesn't get too dry, it's just biding its time. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7 My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/